Why Are Seth Rogen and James Franco Not Friends Anymore? Inside the Fallout That Ended Their 25-Year Friendship

Seth Rogen and James Franco once had a friendship that seemed unbreakable — until it wasn't.

The former friends first connected while filming the teen comedy-drama TV series Freaks and Geeks in 1999. Rogen and Franco played the roles of Ken Miller and Daniel Desario in the show.

Although the series only lasted one season, the cult teen series launched their decades-long friendship and working relationship.

After working on Freaks and Geeks, Rogen and Franco reunited in the 2008 comedy film Pineapple Express.

In an interview, Franco revealed he and the Canadian actor "got along very well" on Freaks and Geeks because "it was sort of the first project of any quality that either of [them] had done."

He added, "We were both really young. But afterwards, I didn't see him that much for a while. He's four years younger than I am, so we were at different places in our lives or something. I was, however, still talking to Judd [Apatow] every now and again and I then bumped into Seth again. Knocked Up wasn't even shot yet but Judd said: 'I'm going to do this movie with Seth and then you and him should do a movie together.'"

Following that conversation, Franco thought a project with Rogen "would be great" since he had "such a good time with him" on Freaks and Geeks.

"Anytime we've work together, it's been a really cool time. Basically, he's the same guy – he was a great guy then and he's a great guy now," he continued.

They went on to collaborate on 2013's This Is the End, 2014's The Interview, 2016's Sausage Party and 2017's The Disaster Artist.

In 2020, Rogen confirmed to Howard Stern they "tried" to make a Pineapple Express sequel, though he did not mention Franco at the time.

"Thanks to the Sony hack, you can like actually find the email when Sony killed the movie," he revealed. "It was something we were very open to several years ago, but Sony was not that interested in it."

When asked why the studio refused to sign on, Rogen shared, "I think we probably wanted too much money. Studios, they don't like giving away money. Weird thing."

In 2018, five women came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct and predatory behavior against Franco. He initially denied the accusations and later settled a class-action lawsuit by two of his former students in 2021.

In a rare sit-down interview, the Rise of the Planet of the Apes actor confirmed he "did sleep with students, and that was wrong."

"But ... it's not why I started the school, and I wasn't the person that selected the people to be in the class," he clarified. "So it wasn't a master plan on my part, but yes, there were certain instances where ... I was in a consensual thing with a student and I shouldn't have been."

In the wake of the allegations, the Steve Jobs actor said he would continue working with his pal, telling Vulture in April 2018, "The truth is that my perspective on this is the least relevant perspective. I'm friends with these people and I'm a dude. All that combined makes me the last person who should be talking about this."

Three years later, Rogen declared he would never work with Franco again.

"I don't know if I can define that right now during this interview," he said of their friendship. "I can say it, um, you know, it has changed many things in our relationship and our dynamic."

During an appearance on SiriusXM in 2021, Franco said he "still loves" Rogen, who he called his "absolute closest work friend, collaborator."

"We just gelled," he pointed out. "What he said is true — we aren't working together and we don't have any plans to work together."

The James Dean star admitted it was "hurtful" to hear Rogen say they would no longer work together, but he still acknowledged his former friend "had to answer for [him] because [he] was silent."

Then, during an October 2024 interview with Variety, Franco said he was not in touch with Rogen.

"I haven't talked to Seth. I love Seth, we had 20 great years together, but I guess it's over," he assumed. "And not for lack of trying. I've told him how much he's meant to me."

A few months later, Rogen responded to Franco's comments during a February 2025 interview with Esquire.

"Honestly, I absorb so little media that it really wasn't on my radar," he told the magazine.

In a New York Times interview published on June 13, Rogen reflected on the collapse of his longtime friendship with Franco after sexual misconduct allegations against his frequent collaborator emerged.

"I honestly think the nuance of it is too personal for me to get into right now," he admitted. "It is a very personal thing. There's the public-facing side of it, which I've spoken about, and I have the same stance publicly that I've had, and I think the proof is in the pudding — I have not worked with him in years."

The Studio star added the personal side of his connection with Franco was just so nuanced, explaining, "It involves people that I don't know if I should be dragging into this. I don't know what I would benefit from getting deeply into it. Nothing has changed since the last time I talked about all this, and I haven't worked with him in a really long time and I have no plans to."

Additionally, Rogen confirmed he had "not talked to [Franco] in a long time."